Free Web NovelChapter 295: Chapter 294: Strange Investment
As he Cast the spell, Colin felt a strong resistance.
If using this spell against an Ogre felt like squishing a lump of mashed potatoes, using it on the Beard Demon was like trying to crush a stone. He couldn’t feel the spell making any progress at all.
"Ugh..."
The moment the Beard Demon began to groan, on the verge of breaking free from the spell, Colin focused his will and cast Silver Light Sharp Words again, forcefully suppressing his opponent’s mind once more.
The instant the spell took effect, the Beard Demon ignored the Priest in front of it.
The creature threw its Long-Handled Blade with a backhand motion before it reluctantly began to roar with laughter.
CLANG!
Colin was still Casting and had no time to dodge. He felt a sudden, heavy impact on his shoulder that nearly sent him sprawling.
The thrown Long-Handled Blade was deflected, clattering to the ground.
Colin glanced over.
The blade had struck the edge of his Chest Armor, right on his shoulder.
The section of Chain Armor had been completely pierced, leaving a small gash on his shoulder.
A throbbing pain radiated from the wound. It felt as if a hole had been punched in him and the air was leaking out, sapping his strength.
Colin took a deep breath.
Strengthened by Silver Light Sharp Words, he charged forward again.
His blade, blazing with the light of Radiant Sword, pierced straight through the Beard Demon’s chest.
As the viscous black blood gushed out, it sizzled against the brilliant golden light, evaporating into foul-smelling, black-red clouds of mist like water on a red-hot iron.
Orelia placed her hammer-wielding hand on Colin.
She recited a prayer and healed the wound on his shoulder.
The wound hadn’t even fully closed before Colin prepared to press his advantage.
Just then, he heard a gurgling sound at his feet.
He looked down and saw that the viscous substance on the ground had come to life, transforming into clusters of writhing, festering, humanoid Slimes.
Festering, pain-filled human faces surfaced on the writhing ooze. Their mouths issued dry, hoarse sounds, making it impossible to tell what they were saying.
These creatures swarmed to Colin’s feet, clinging to his calves.
He quickly shouted a warning, "We’ve got Inferior Demons here!"
Inferior Demons are the lowest rank of Demon.
Most souls plundered from the Mortal World become these things. They can serve as fuel, currency, servants... and all the other components that make up Demon society.
They’ve lost most of their memories from life, possess an Intelligence comparable to beasts, and only pose a threat when they gather in numbers.
Just then, the blobs of Inferior Demons on the ground began to attack the Beard Demon. The jolt of pain was enough of a mental shock to allow the damned Demon to break free from the spell.
Meanwhile, the Inferior Demons’ feeble fists couldn’t inflict much Damage at all.
Not far away, Kase was facing the same problem.
’Fuck, I can’t just use large-scale destructive magic or a Smoke Bomb with my allies in the mix, can I? I can’t worry about Kase right now!’
’Using Misty Step to get away won’t work either; Orelia can’t hold out against this many Demons on her own.’
’But these Demons are all immune to Flame Damage, so there’s no way to clear them out quickly!’
Just as Colin hesitantly raised his hands, preparing to try his luck with Burning Hand, a terrifying gale swept past him from behind, carrying waves of sharp, black-red icicles forward.
’A range-damage spell? Is there another nasty Demon behind me?’
The moment this thought crossed Colin’s mind, he realized something strange. Although the gale howled as it whipped past, carrying the condensed icicles with it, he felt nothing at all.
Even the rain of icicles miraculously curved around him, flying forward to strike only the Inferior Demons and the Beard Demon.
At the same time, the ice began to spread wildly, encasing the Demons in a thick frozen shell.
With just that one spell, all the Demons blocking their path were turned to ice!
’Cautious Spellcasting? That Super Magic Technique allows a Warlock to exempt designated targets from the effects of their Range Magic. That spell must have been Ale’s handiwork.’
Colin looked back at Ale, who pursed her lips and nodded at him.
He also saw the enemies at the rear of the strike team. Two Beard Demons were leading a horde of Inferior Demons against Battier and the others, and two young illegitimate sons were desperately holding on thanks to their equipment.
Just then, the smoke covering the area began to slowly dissipate.
The Chain Demon remained standing where it was, as if its underlings hadn’t just been annihilated.
A voice resounded in his mind: *What do you gain by killing me? A pile of rusty chains? Heh heh, gentlemen, I know some of you desire Power, some desire wealth, and some desire a certain secret... I can provide everything you wish to know.*
’Demons are all the same. When they can’t win a fight, they try to make a deal.’
Just as Colin was about to reach for the Smoke Bomb in his materials pouch, he quickly scanned his surroundings.
In that instant, a thousand thoughts flashed through his mind.
The battlefield was littered with frozen Inferior Demons.
Although Colin didn’t know why, he knew that souls plundered and taken to Hell couldn’t be used directly by Demons.
Therefore, these Inferior Demons must be the souls of those who had previously signed contracts with that Chain Demon. In other words, they were the "savings" it had summoned to the Mortal World through an Array.
’This is very strange,’ Colin thought.
’From a certain perspective, Demons and merchants are quite similar.’
’It’s been said that a merchant will risk the gallows for a three-hundred-percent profit. For a Demon, if they *fail* to earn that three-hundred-percent profit, the gallows are what likely awaits them.’
’Demons know that when they’re summoned to the Mortal World, the most likely outcome is being banished back to Hell.’
’Although they lose some Power when they resurrect in Hell, if they can plunder enough Gold or souls from the Mortal World, they can trade those assets for enough allies to secure their position.’
’The sense of hierarchy among Demons is extremely rigid.’
’If a Demon loses Power and falls in rank, its former peers will never give it the slightest chance to climb back. Backstabbing is considered standard practice.’
’After all, competition between Demons of the same rank is incredibly fierce. No one wants another rival.’
’Failing to secure enough profit leads to a fate worse than death. This is the Demons’ law of Survival.’
’Therefore, most Demons are very hesitant to invest their own personal assets.’
Colin resisted the urge to take out a Smoke Bomb.
Though he was loath to admit it... he truly had a bad feeling about this.
